Secession - American Civil War - HISTORY.com Google The border slave states of Maryland , Delaware , Kentucky , and Missouri remained with the Union, although they all contributed volunteers to the Confederacy. Fifty counties of western Virginia were loyal to the Union government, and in 1863 this area was constituted the separate state of West Virginia . Secession in practical terms meant that about a third of the population with substantial material resources had withdrawn from what had constituted a single nation and established a separate government. The term secession had been used as early as 1776. South Carolina threatened separation when the Continental Congress sought to tax all the colonies on the basis of a total population count that would include slaves. Secession in this instance and throughout the antebellum period came to mean the assertion of minority sectional interests against what was perceived to be a hostile or indifferent majority. Secession had been a matter of concern to some members of the Constitutional Convention that met at Philadelphia in 1787. Theoretically, secession was bound up closely with Whig thought, which claimed the right of revolution against a despotic government.

Algernon Sidney, John Locke , and the British Commonwealth Men argued this theme, and it played a prominent role in the American Revolution . Any federal republic by its very nature invited challenge to central control, a danger that James Madison recognized. He sought at the convention a clause that would prohibit secession from the proposed union once the states had ratified the Constitution. In debate over other points, Madison repeatedly warned that secession or “disunion” was a major concern. The Constitution as framed and finally accepted by the states divided the exercise of sovereign power between the states and the national government. By virtue of the fact that it was a legal document and in most respects enumerated the powers of the central government, the division was weighted toward the states. Yet much of the charter was drawn up in general terms and was susceptible to interpretation that might vary with time and circumstance. The very thing that Madison feared took on a concrete form during the party battles of the Washington and Adams administrations. And paradoxically, Madison found himself involved with those who seemed to threaten separation. In their reaction to the arbitrary assumption of power in the Alien and Sedition Acts , Thomas Jefferson and Madison argued for state annulment of this legislation.

Jefferson’s response in the Kentucky Resolution advanced the compact interpretation of the federal Constitution. Madison’s Virginia Resolution was far more moderate, but both resolutions looked to state action against what were deemed unconstitutional laws. The national judiciary, they felt, was packed with their opponents. Neither resolution claimed original sovereignty for the states, but both argued for a strict reading of enumerated powers. During the War of 1812 , a disaffected Federalist majority in New England advanced the compact theory and considered secession from the Union. As modernization began to take hold in the United States, differences between the two major sections grew more pronounced: a plantation cotton culture worked by slave labor became concentrated in the South and industrial development featuring free labor in the North. A wave of reform activity in Europe and the United States made the abolition or at least the restriction of slavery a significant goal in the free states. Since abolition struck at the labor system as well as the social structure of the slave states, threats of secession punctuated the political dialogue from 1819 through 1860. John C.

Calhoun , the leading spokesman of the slave states, charged frequently and eloquently that the South and its way of life were under assault from an industrializing North. Like other proponents of endangered minorities, he looked to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and their assertion of the federal compact for the basis of his defense. He argued that a state or a group of states could nullify a federal law that was felt to be against a particular interest. But Calhoun made a fundamental extension of the Jeffersonian concept of states’ rights and claimed original undivided sovereignty for the people acting through the states. Although always seeking an accommodation for the South and its slave plantation system within the Union, Calhoun had hoped that nullification was a proper, constitutional alternative to disunion. But he eventually invoked secession with particular vehemence after the territorial acquisitions of the Mexican War and the formation of the Free-Soil party in 1848. Nationalists like John Marshall , Joseph Story, and Daniel Webster countered the Calhoun argument. They declared that the Constitution operated directly through the states on the people, not upon the states as corporate bodies, and their view gained wide acceptance in the free states.

Calhoun was instrumental in fostering southern unity on a sectional basis and in formulating the call for a convention of delegates from the slave states to be held at Nashville, Tennessee , in 1850. There is little doubt that had he lived, Calhoun would have been a formidable force for secession as the ultimate weapon. His death and the working out of a compromise that strengthened moderate opinion in both sections kept the secessionist element at bay temporarily. But the territorial issue flared up again, this time with renewed fury over the question of whether Kansas should enter the Union as a free or slave state. By now antislavery sentiment had grown significantly in the free states. And opinion leaders in the slave states drew closer together in defense against what they saw as an impending attack on their institutions. The Kansas question created the Republican party, a frankly sectional political organization, and it nominated John C. Frémont for president on a Free-Soil platform in 1856. Although the Democrats, still functioning along national lines, managed to elect James Buchanan president by a slim margin, the slave states threatened secession if the Republicans should win the election in 1860. The South was committed to an agrarian way of life.

It was a land where profitable and efficient plantations worked by slave labor produced cotton for the world market. It was also a land where a majority of its white population was made up of subsistence farmers who lived isolated lives on the edge of poverty and whose literacy rates were low compared with those in the more densely populated North. The South nevertheless was beginning to industrialize, a factor that added to the social tensions surfacing during the 1850s between the haves–plantation owners and professional groups in the few urban centers–and the have-nots–an increasingly restive yeoman or small-farmer group. But the issue of black servitude provided cohesion for the white bloc and contributed greatly to a patriarchal system wherein the masses of the whites still looked to a planter-professional elite for political and social guidance. Although the northern masses might also defer to the opinions of the powerful and living conditions among the urban poor were precarious, educational levels were far higher than in the South. The ethic of free capital and free labor was deeply ingrained in the cities and in farm communities as well. It was this ethic that formed the ideological basis for a broad antislavery movement.

Southern leaders were concerned over internal stresses in their society and were increasingly aware of the moral and social repugnance the slave system engendered not only in the North but also in Western Europe. Southern leadership, though surely not unified in its response to a political victory of antislavery forces in 1860, began as early as 1858 to prepare its section for separation from the Union. Even though the Republican platform of 1860 disavowed any move that would interfere with slavery where the custom and the law of a given state upheld it, many of the more extreme opinion makers in the South promoted the idea that a Republican victory meant eventual emancipation and social and political equality for their black population. So inflamed were the voters in South Carolina that before the election of Lincoln, they had chosen a convention that was committed to secession on news of a Republican victory. The situation of other states in the Deep South was more complicated. Elections were held promptly, but the results showed considerable division on secession. Three factions emerged: those for immediate secession, those who sought delay until the policy of the new administration toward the slave states became clear, and those who believed they could bargain with the new administration.

All these groups, however, were united in support of the doctrine of secession. With this idea as a basic commitment, the better organized immediate secessionists were able to prevail. The close connection between the right to revolution and separation from the governing power in the spirit of 1776 was an early theme in the provisional Confederacy. To be sure, the revolution was posited as a peaceful one. Separation from a Union perceived to be under the control of a tyrannical power that would destroy southern institutions was the objective. Confederate leaders at this early date thought that the North would not fight to preserve the Union. But the provisional government nevertheless began purchasing arms and munitions, and seceded states started to equip and train their militias. State and Confederate government authorities seized federal forts, arsenals, and other national property within their jurisdiction. When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, federal troops held only Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, Fort Pickens off the Florida coast, and one or two other outposts in the South.

Concerned about the loyalty of the border states of Virginia, Maryland, Missouri, and Kentucky, the new administration went so far as to offer the slave states an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee slavery where it legally existed. Lincoln himself in his inaugural address pledged only to hold federal property that was in the possession of the Union on March 4, 1861. The provisional Confederacy likewise sought vigorously to stimulate secession sentiment in the border states. Had all the border slave states thrown in their lot with one or the other government, there might not have been a war, or conversely, separation might well have become an accomplished fact. As it was, however, the prompt action of the Lincoln administration after the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter secured Maryland and Delaware for the Union. Kentucky proclaimed its neutrality but eventually remained loyal to the Union. Missouri, too, though a major battleground for the contending forces, contributed most of its resources in men and matériel to the Union. Once the war was joined, waves of patriotic sentiment swept over North and South. Vocal political opposition would exist on both sides, but it was never strong enough to overthrow either government.

Secession as revolution, an early theme in southern rhetoric, was not emphasized after the formation of the Confederacy. Rather, Jefferson’s compact theory was enshrined in its Constitution. A nation could not have been formed, nor a war fought, if the states were wholly independent of any central authority. Behind it all, of course, was the unity of a minority geographical section defending a distinct set of institutions that were thought to be under attack. The original federal Union that shared the exercise of power with the states strengthened the concept of secession. It also supplied a pretext for southern leaders to seize the initiative and form a separate nation. The Reader’s Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Tags When States Seceded During the American Civil War By Martin Kelly Updated August 08, 2016. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was the final straw for many southerners. They felt that his goal was to ignore states rights and remove their ability to own slaves. Before it was all over, eleven states seceded from the Union.

Four of these (Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee) did not secede until after the Battle of Fort Sumter that occurred on April 12, 1861. Four additional states were Border Slave States that did not secede from the Union: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware. In addition, the area that would become West Virginia was formed on October 24, 1861 when the western portion of Virginia chose to break away from the rest of the state instead of seceding. Order of Secession During the American Civil War The following chart shows the order in which the states seceded from the Union. State continue reading below our video The North's Position in the Civil War The Civil War had many causes, and Lincoln's election on November 6, 1860 made many in the South feel that their cause was never going to be heard. The southern economy had become a one crop economy with its dependence on cotton and the slaves that were necessary to make this a viable economic crop. However, the northern economy focused on industry over agriculture. They purchased the cotton and finished it for sale. Thus, an economic disparity was set up between the two sections of the country.

Espousing State's Rights In addition, many southerners espoused the idea of states rights. They felt that the federal government should not be able impose its will on the states. In fact, the idea of nullification espoused by John C. Calhoun was strongly supported in the south. This idea would allow states to decide if federal actions were unconstitutional according to their own constitutions. However, the Supreme Court decided against the south and said that nullification was not legal. As America expanded, one of the key questions that came up as each territory moved towards statehood would be whether slavery was allowed in the new state. Southerners felt that if they did not get enough 'slave' states, then their interests would be significantly hurt in Congress. This led to issues such as ' Bleeding Kansas ' where the decision of whether to be free or slave was left up to the citizens through the concept of popular sovereignty. Fighting ensued with individuals from other states streaming in to try and sway the vote.

The Call of Abolitionists and the Election of Abraham Lincoln With the appearance of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and the publication of key abolitionist newspapers like the Liberator, the call for the abolition of slavery grew stronger in the north. Thus, with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the South felt that someone who was only interested in Northern interests and anti-slavery would soon be president. South Carolina delivered its "Declaration of the Causes of Secession," and the other states soon followed. The die was set and with the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 12-14,1861, open warfare began.

The American Civil War, Confederate States of America Edited by: Robert Guisepi The Confederate States of America was also called the CONFEDERACY and during the American Civil War, composed the government of 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860-61, carrying on all the affairs of a separate government and conducting a major war until defeated in the spring of 1865.Convinced that their way of life, based on slavery, was irretrievably threatened by the election of President Abraham Lincoln (November 1860), the seven states of the Deep South (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas) seceded from the Union during the following months. When the war began with the firing on Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861), they were joined by four states of the upper South (Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia). A permanent government at Richmond, Va., replaced a provisional government, established in February 1861 at Montgomery, Alabama, a year later. President Jefferson Davis and Vice President Alexander H.

Stephens headed the Confederacy, operating under a structure similar to that of the United States. The new nation soon acquired other symbols of sovereignty, such as its own stamps and a flag known as the Stars and Bars. The main concern of the Confederate States was raising and equipping an army. The Southern Congress first voted to permit direct volunteering up to 400,000, but conscription was begun in April 1862. The total number of Confederate soldiers is estimated at 750,000, as opposed to twice that many Federal troops. (Confederate population stood at about 5,500,000 whites and 3,500,000 black slaves, as against 22,000,000 Northerners.) In railroads, the South had only 9,000 miles, the industrial North 22,000.The Confederacy's early attempts to raise funds centered on printing money, which proved highly inflationary, and issuing bonds that could be paid for in kind. Because of the Federal blockade of Southern ports, tariff revenues proved inadequate.

In 1863 a general tax bill was passed, imposing license and occupational taxes, a profits tax, and a 10 percent tax on farm products, collected in kind. Profitable private blockade running was put under strict supervision in 1864. Prices of farm products for the army were eventually fixed to check profiteering. In foreign affairs, the South had been initially confident of the power and influence of "King Cotton", the crop that accounted for more than half the value of U.S. exports before the war. Confederates felt that the importance of cotton would force diplomatic recognition from the Federal government and European countries. Neither the commissioners sent abroad in 1861 nor the permanent envoys that replaced them were able to secure recognition from Great Britain, France, or any other European power. The South was able, however, to buy considerable war materiel and several fast ships that destroyed much Federal shipping on the high seas. President Davis took an active part in dictating military policy and major strategy, but the great leader on the battlefield was Gen. Robert E. Lee. Heartened by a series of military victories in the first two years of fighting, the Confederacy was convinced of its ultimate success.

But disillusionment set in with almost simultaneous Federal victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg (July 1863). Not even the brilliant tactics of Lee in the East or of General Joseph E. Johnston in the West could indefinitely hold off the stronger Northern armies. After Lee surrendered his dwindling, half-starved army at Appomattox, Va., on April 9, 1865, the Confederacy soon collapsed. Between Dec. 20, 1860, and Feb. 1, 1861, six southern states declared their withdrawal (secession) from the United States. On February 4, at Montgomery, Ala., they organized a separate and independent government called the Confederate States of America. The states that set up this government were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. A seventh state, Texas, was admitted to the confederation on March 2. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was elected president and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia, vice-president. The preamble of the new Confederate constitution declared that each state was "acting in its sovereign and independent character." This right had been asserted at earlier periods in American history.

Never before, however, had the issue been charged with the emotional factor of the abolition of black slavery.The constitution of the Confederate States reflected the then prevailing belief in the South that slavery was the only practicable status for the large black population of that section. It forbade any legislation impairing the institution of slavery though it did prohibit foreign slave trade. The remainder of the constitution was largely based on that of the Union from which the states of the lower South were withdrawing. Among the modifications was a six-year term for the president, who could not succeed himself. The president was, in addition, given the right to veto separate items of appropriation bills. Congress was prohibited from adopting a protective tariff on imports. The Three Branches of Government The legislative branch of the government was the Confederate Congress, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Its work was lessened by adopting all United States statutes consistent with the Confederate constitution. On the other hand it had to deal with the difficult problems of war. Within the Congress there were no recognized party divisions. Members tended to fall into administration and anti-administration groups on personal grounds.The judicial system of the Confederacy consisted chiefly of district courts located in the old federal judicial districts.

The ill-defined jurisdiction of circuit courts was abolished (a step followed half a century later by the United States). Provision was made for a supreme court, but it was never organized because of bitter controversies between members of Congress over its jurisdiction and powers. The executive branch consisted of Departments of State, Treasury, War, Navy, Justice, and the Post Office. The heads of these departments made up the president's Cabinet. Fourteen men held Cabinet offices. In order of their terms of service they were: secretary of state, Robert Toombs, R.M.T. Hunter, and J.P. Benjamin; secretary of the treasury, C.G. Memminger, G.A. Trenholm; secretary of war, L.P. Walker, J.P. Benjamin, G.W. Randolph, James A. Seddon, John C. Breckinridge; secretary of the navy, Stephen R. Mallory; attorney general, J.P. Benjamin, Thomas Bragg, Thomas H. Watts, and George Davis; postmaster general, John H. Reagan. Four More States Join the Confederacy The election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States had touched off the series of secessions.

By the time Lincoln took office four months later, the seceding states had taken possession of most of the forts and other public property of the United States lying within their borders. In Charleston Harbor, however, Fort Sumter still garrisoned United States troops. The Montgomery government ordered its forces at Charleston to fire on and reduce Fort Sumter. The bombardment began on April 12, 1861; the fort was surrendered on April 14.On April 15 President Lincoln called for troops to be used against the seceding states. Two days later Virginia, caught between the warring states and forced to a choice, took its first step toward secession. It was followed in turn by Arkansas, North Carolina, and finally (on June 24) by Tennessee.Upon Virginia's invitation, the capital of the new nation was moved to Richmond in May and June 1861. The number of stars in the Confederate flag, originally seven, was increased to 13 in recognition of member states plus Kentucky and Missouri. Neither of these two states seceded, though both sent representatives to the Confederate Congress.The war that began in 1861 continued for almost four years.

At the beginning of the war, the 11 Confederate States had a total population of about 9 million, of whom some 3.5 million were slaves; the 23 states remaining in the Union had a population of about 23 million. The difference in resources was even greater. Most of the industrial power was in the Union states, which had the further advantage of overwhelming naval strength. This sea power was effectively used to blockade Southern ports. Some advantages did lie with the Confederacy. It stood on the defensive, not seeking to conquer the Union states but only to resist efforts to occupy the South. It operated on interior lines so that, even though its railroads were less in extent and in capacity than those of the North, it was able to shift troops from one theater of action to another. It had the handicap of its own emphasis on the rights and independence of its individual states. Several states asserted these rights at such times and in such ways as to weaken the general effort of the Confederacy. First Three Years of the War In the beginning of the struggle, both sides relied on short-term volunteers--the Union for 90 days, the Confederates for one year.

During the first 12 months of the war, despite the dramatic victory of the first battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, things went badly for the Confederacy.Missouri was lost to the South as was northern Arkansas, more than half of Tennessee, and important positions on the seacoasts. A Union fleet held the mouth of the Mississippi River and threatened New Orleans. In this state of affairs, the Confederacy adopted conscription, a course soon followed by the Congress of the United States.The second year of the war opened with the loss of New Orleans and Memphis and with a Union army in sight of Richmond. The course of events was reversed, however, when Stonewall Jackson's brilliant campaign freed the Shenandoah Valley and Robert E. Lee took command of the newly named Army of Northern Virginia. Lee drove George B. McClellan from Richmond and, in a series of brilliant victories, threatened Washington and crossed the Potomac into Maryland. Meanwhile in the west, Gen. Braxton Bragg drove his Southern Army of Tennessee into Kentucky, almost to the Ohio River. He was compelled to withdraw after the battle of Perryville (Oct. 8, 1862).

Earlier Lee had to leave Maryland after the battle at Sharpsburg, or Antietam, on September 16 and 17.The battle of Antietam was enough of a Union victory to warrant President Lincoln's issuing his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It was to become effective on Jan. 1, 1863, and was to apply only to slaves in states still resisting Union arms at that time. More important it served to make the war a crusade against slavery as well as a conflict to preserve the Union. It thereby effectively ended any possibility of foreign intervention on the Confederate side.During the remaining years the tide of war slowly turned against the Confederates. Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania ended in defeat at Gettysburg. The North gained control of the Mississippi River, cutting off the western South from the remainder of the Confederacy. The railroad lines connecting the central South with the eastern section were cut. In the Shenandoah Valley and elsewhere Union forces deliberately destroyed the South's facilities for producing war supplies.The Southern government had started out with high hope of foreign support, particularly from Great Britain and France. To create an artificial scarcity of cotton abroad, the Confederate government prohibited its export in the early days of the war.

Later they could not get it out in sufficient quantities because of the effective blockade. The Confederate States never gained diplomatic recognition as a nation. Europe's chief contribution was in the form of navy cruisers, such as the Alabama. These warships did much to disrupt Union seaborne commerce. The Confederacy was never able to solve its financial problem. As a result the successive issues of Confederate paper money lost more and more purchasing power until they finally became of no value. Estimates of the amount of money printed by the Confederate government range between one and two billion dollars. To this should be added perhaps another half billion dollars of notes and fractional currency ("shinplasters") issued by states, banks, railroads, and other business organizations. The End of the Confederacy Late in 1864 it became apparent that the Confederacy had no chance to win the war. The fall of Atlanta was followed by the rout of General John B. Hood's Army of the Tennessee and the virtually unopposed march of General William T. Sherman to Savannah. Unsuccessful attempts were made to negotiate a peace with President Lincoln at Hampton Roads on Feb. 3, 1865. Three days later, President Davis appointed Robert E.

Lee to the position of general in chief. In another six days Wilmington, the last Confederate port open to blockade runners, was closed by the fall of Fort Fisher.Petersburg, Va., fell on April 2, 1865, and Richmond had to be evacuated. Although scattered fighting persisted in the Carolinas, in Texas, and on the high seas, the Confederate States of America could not survive after Lee's surrender at the Appomattox, Va., courthouse on April 9. The Confederate States had to accept the reconstruction terms imposed upon them by the federal government, before being allowed back in the Union. Politically, the period of reconstruction was completed in 1877. Economically, the effects of the war lasted much longer. One lasting result of the war was the creation of the state of West Virginia.

The decision by Virginia to secede from the Union in 1861 led more than 50 counties in the northwest part of the state to break away from Virginia to form the new state in 1863 West Virginia Civil War History Battles West Virginia Map West Virginia Civil War History Homepage Introduction: West Virginia became a state by breaking away, or seceding, from Virginia during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The new state was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, and was a key Civil War Border State . West Virginia was the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state, and was one of only two states formed during the American Civil War (the other one being Nevada, which separated from Utah Territory). Bordering Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio and Maryland, West Virginia was strategically important to both the North and South. The area which became West Virginia furnished about an equal number of soldiers to the Union and Confederate armies. Each army recruited approximately 22,000–25,000, for a total of 44,000--50,000 for the state.

(Depending on source, the total varies.) West Virginia Civil War History Map West Virginia Civil War Battlefield Map West Virginia was the battlefield for the following principal Civil War battles: Battle of Camp Alleghany; Battle of Carnifex Ferry; Battle of Cheat Mountain; Battle of Droop Mountain; Battle of Greenbrier River; Battle of Harpers Ferry; Battle of Hoke's Run; Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes; Battle of Moorefield ; Battle of Philippi; Battle of Princeton Courthouse; Battle of Rich Mountain; Battle of Shepherdstown; Battle of Smithfield Crossing ; and Battle of Summit Point .* A Divided State: In the summer of 1861, Union troops under General George McClellan drove off Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee. This essentially freed Unionists in the northwestern counties of Virginia to form their own government as a result of the Wheeling Convention. After Lee's departure, western Virginia continued to be a target of Confederate raids, even after the creation of the new state in 1863.

These actions focused both on supplying the Confederate Army with provisions as well as attacking the vital Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that linked the northeast with the midwest, as exemplified in the Jones-Imboden Raid. Guerrilla warfare also gripped the new state, especially in the Allegheny Mountain counties to the east, where loyalties were much more divided than in the Unionist northwest part of the state. See also West Virginia in the American Civil War: A History . West Virginia Civil War Map Civil War West Virginia Map Civil War: In 1861, as the United States itself became massively divided over regional issues, leading to the American Civil War (1861–1865), the western regions of Virginia split with the eastern portion politically, and the two were never reconciled as a single state again. In 1863, the western region was admitted to the Union as a new separate state, initially planned to be named the State of Kanawha, but ultimately named West Virginia. See also Virginia Civil War History . West Virginia is one of two U.S.

states formed during the American Civil War (1861–1865), along with Nevada , and is the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state. It was originally part of the British Virginia Colony (1607–1776) and the western part of the state of Virginia (1776–1863), whose population became sharply divided over the issue of secession from the Union and in the separation from Virginia, formalized by admittance to the Union as a new state in 1863. With statehood, West Virginia became one of the Civil War Border States. West Virginia, furthermore, profoundly affected by its mountainous terrain, spectacular river valleys, and rich natural resources, was ripe for Guerrilla war. Despite its central location and disputed territory, West Virginia suffered comparatively little. Early in the war, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson led the Great Train Raid of 1861, which resulted in the capture of several locomotives and rolling stock of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Jackson later led his men in what became known as the Romney Expedition, an unsuccessful attempt to firmly establish Confederate control over western Virginia.

In a series of relatively small battles, McClellan's forces gained possession of the greater part of the territory in the summer of 1861. Later that year Robert E. Lee attempted to retake western Virginia but was ultimately defeated by a far smaller Union force at the Battle of Cheat Mountain. A key part of the Union strategy in West Virginia for the rest of the war was to keep the vital Baltimore and Ohio Railroad open as a major supply and troop transportation route. On June 20, 1861, delegates from the trans-Allegheny counties of Virginia (who had voted overwhelmingly against secession) met at the Second Wheeling Convention and declared that because Richmond had seceded all state offices had been vacated. The Convention stepped into the role of filling these state offices calling itself the Restored State of Virginia. West Virginia Civil War Border State Map Border State West Virginia Civil War History Map A continuing and important mission was to protect the vast supply warehouses and munitions factories at Harpers Ferry. However, the town fell to Stonewall Jackson during early days of the Maryland Campaign, and the surrender of its Federal garrison was the largest capture of U.S. Army troops until World War II nearly eighty years later.

With Lee's retreat to Virginia following the Battle of Antietam, Union forces again occupied Harpers Ferry. The Maryland Campaign concluded in what became West Virginia with the Battle of Shepherdstown. In 1863, Brig. Gen. John D. Imboden, with 5,000 Confederates, overran a considerable portion of the state and tore up sections of the B&O Railroad. Bands of guerrillas burned and plundered in some sections, and were not entirely suppressed until after the war was ended. On June 20, 1863, the newly proclaimed state of West Virginia was admitted to the Union. A Confederate brigade of cavalry under antebellum U.S. Congressman Albert G. Jenkins saw considerable action during the Gettysburg Campaign, as well as other major campaigns. A number of West Virginia regiments were distinguished for their war records, including the 7th West Virginia Infantry which assaulted the Sunken Road at Antietam and rushed onto Cemetery Hill in the twilight at the Battle of Gettysburg to help push back the famed Louisiana Tigers.

The 3rd West Virginia Cavalry also fought well at Gettysburg as a part of John Buford's veteran cavalry division that defended McPherson's Ridge on the first day of the battle. By early 1863 Union efforts in West Virginia were going badly. Unionists were losing confidence in the Wheeling government to protect them, and with the approaching dismemberment of Virginia into two states guerrilla activity increased in an effort to prevent organization of county governments. By 1864 some stability had been achieved in some central counties, but guerrilla activity was never effectively countered. Union forces that were needed elsewhere were tied down in what many soldiers considered a backwater of the war. But Federal forces could not afford to ignore any rebel territory, particularly one so close to the Ohio River. As late as January, 1865, Gov. Arthur I. Boreman complained of large scale guerrilla activity as far north as Harrison and Marion counties. In one last, brazen act of the guerrilla war, McNeill's Rangers of Hardy County kidnapped Generals George Crook and Benjamin F. Kelley from behind Union lines and delivered them as prisoners of war to Richmond.

The Confederate surrender at Appomattox finally brought an end to guerrilla war in West Virginia. Slavery was officially abolished February 3, 1865. See also West Virginia in the American Civil War: A History . West Virginia Civil War Map West Virginia Civil War Battlefield Map Analysis: During the American Civil War, West Virginia suffered comparatively little. Union General George B. McClellan's forces gained possession of the greater part of the territory in the summer of 1861. Following Confederate General Robert E. Lee's defeat at Cheat Mountain in the same year, Union supremacy in western Virginia was never again seriously challenged. In 1863, General John D. Imboden, with 5,000 Confederates, overran a considerable portion of the state. Bands of guerrillas burned and plundered in some sections, and were not entirely suppressed until after the war was ended. Estimates of the numbers of soldiers from the state, Union and Confederate, have varied widely, but recent studies have placed the numbers about equal, from 22,000-25,000 each. The low vote turnout for the statehood referendum was due to many factors.

On June 19, 1861, the Wheeling convention enacted a bill entitled "Ordinance to Authorize the Apprehending of Suspicious Persons in Time of War" which stated that anyone who supported Richmond or the Confederacy "shall be deemed...subjects or citizens of a foreign State or power at war with the United States." Many private citizens were arrested by Federal authorities at the request of Wheeling and interred in prison camps, most notably Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio. Camp Chase Civil Prisoners. Soldiers were also stationed at the polls to discourage secessionists and their supporters. In addition, a large portion of the state was secessionist, and any polls there had to be conducted under military intervention. The vote was further compromised by the presence of an undetermined number of non-resident soldier votes. At the Constitutional Convention on December 14, 1861, the issue of slavery was raised by Rev. Gordon Battelle, an Ohio native, who wished to introduce a resolution for gradual emancipation.

Granville Parker, originally from Massachusetts and a member of the convention, described the scene-"I discovered on that occasion as I never had before, the mysterious and over-powering influence 'the peculiar institution' had on men otherwise sane and reliable. Why, when Mr. Battelle submitted his resolutions, a kind of tremor-a holy horror, was visible throughout the house!" Instead of Rev. Battelle's resolution a policy of "Negro exclusion" for the new state was adopted to keep any new slaves, or freemen, from taking up residence, in the hope that this would satisfy abolitionist sentiment in Congress. When the statehood bill reached Congress, however, the lack of an emancipation clause prompted opposition from Senator Charles Sumner and Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio. A compromise was reached known as the Willey Amendment, which was approved by Unionist voters in the state on March 26, 1863. It called for the gradual emancipation of slaves based on age after July 4, 1863. Slavery was officially abolished by West Virginia on February 3, 1865. (It took the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S.

Constitution accomplished on December 6, 1865, to abolish slavery nationwide). During the war and for years afterwards, partisan feeling ran high. The property of Confederates might be confiscated, and, in 1866, a constitutional amendment disfranchising all who had given aid and comfort to the Confederacy was adopted. The addition of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution caused a reaction, the Democratic Party secured control in 1870, and in 1871 the constitutional amendment of 1866 was abrogated. The first steps toward this change had been taken, however, by the Republicans in 1870. In 1872, an entirely new constitution was adopted (August 22). Following the war, Virginia unsuccessfully brought a case to the Supreme Court challenging the secession of Berkeley County and Jefferson County to West Virginia. (Five more counties were formed later, to result in the current 55). President Lincoln was in a close campaign when he won reelection in 1864.

However, the act that allowed the state to be created was signed in 1862, two years before Lincoln's re-election would have been an issue in any real way. The Manassas Campaign: Battle of Hoke's Run (July 2, 1861), Berkeley County – Stonewall Jackson successfully delays a larger Union force. The Western Virginia Campaign: Battle of Philippi (June 3, 1861), Barbour County – Union victory propels George McClellan into limelight. Battle of Laurel Hill (July 7–11, 1861), Barbour County – Morris routes Confederate troops in 5 days of skirmishing at Belington in a diversionary attack as the opening portion of the Battle of Rich Mountain. Battle of Rich Mountain (July 11, 1861), Randolph County – Another McClellan victory propels him to high command. Battle of Corrick's Ford (July 13, 1861), Tucker County – Confederate Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett is the first general officer killed in the war.

Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes (August 26, 1861), Nicholas County – Confederates rout Tyler's Union force; Lee arrives soon after. Battle of Carnifex Ferry (September 10, 1861), Nicholas County – Rosecrans drives back the Confederates and wins more territory. Battle of Cheat Mountain (September 12–15, 1861), Pocahontas County – Lee is beaten and is recalled to Richmond. Battle of Greenbrier River (October 3, 1861), Pocahontas County – Inconclusive fight brings only bloodshed, but no resolution. Battle of Camp Allegheny (December 13, 1861), Pocahontas County – Union attack is repulsed and both sides camp for the winter. Later actions: Battle of Hancock (January 5–6, 1862), Morgan County – Stonewall Jackson's operations against the B&O Railroad.

Battle of the Henry Clark House (May 1, 1862), Mercer County, West Virginia – Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign – Cox's actions against Princeton and the Tennessee & Virginia Railroad at Dublin, Virginia. Battle of Princeton Court House (May 16–18, 1862), Mercer County, West Virginia – Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign – Cox's actions against the Tennessee & Virginia Railroad at Dublin, Virginia. Battle of Harpers Ferry (September 12–15, 1862), Jefferson County – Jackson surrounds the town and forces its garrison to surrender. Battle of Charleston (September 13, 1862), Kanawha County – Confederates take Charleston, occupying it for six weeks. Battle of Shepherdstown (September 19–20, 1862), Jefferson County – A. P. Hill's counterattack secures Lee's retreat from Sharpsburg. Battle of Hurricane Creek (1863), Putnam County – Skirmish between Union & Confederate forces.

Battle of Droop Mountain (November 6, 1863), Pocahontas County – As a result of the Union victory, Confederate resistance in the state essentially collapsed. Battle of Moorefield (August 7, 1864), Hardy County – Union cavalry drives off John McCausland's Confederate cavalry. Battle of Summit Point (August 21, 1864), Jefferson County – Inconclusive action during Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Battle of Smithfield Crossing (August 25–29, 1864), Jefferson and Berkeley counties – Inconclusive. Two of Jubal Early's infantry divisions force back a Union cavalry division and are stopped by an infantry counterattack. *National Park Service indicates principal battles. Prior to becoming the state of West Virginia, many battles were fought on western Virginia soil. **Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies describes campaigns and their respective battles and skirmishes. Site search Guerrilla Warfare Sources: Ambler, Charles H. Sectionalism in Virginia from 1776 to 1861 (1910); Curry, Richard Orr.

A House Divided: A Study of Statehood Politics and Copperhead Movement in West Virginia (1964); Curry, Richard Orr. "A Reappraisal of Statehood Politics in West Virginia", Journal of Southern History 28 (November 1962): 403-21; Curry, Richard Orr. "Crisis Politics in West Virginia, 1861-1870," in Richard O. Curry ed., Radicalism, Racism, and Party Realignment: The Border States During Reconstruction (1969); Fredette, Allison. "The View from the Border: West Virginia Republicans and Women's Rights in the Age of Emancipation," West Virginia History, Spring 2009, Vol. 3 Issue 1, pp 57-80, 1861-70; Link, William A. "'This Bastard New Virginia': Slavery, West Virginia Exceptionalism, and the Secession Crisis," West Virginia History, Spring 2009, Vol. 3 Issue 1, pp 37-56; McGregor, James C. The Disruption of Virginia.

(1922); MacKenzie, Scott A. "The Slaveholders' War: The Secession Crisis in Kanawha County, Western Virginia, 1860-1861," West Virginia History, Spring 2010, Vol. 4 Issue 1, pp 33-57; Noe, Kenneth W. "Exterminating Savages: The Union Army and Mountain Guerrillas in Southern West Virginia, 1861–1865." In Noe and Shannon H. Wilson, Civil War in Appalachia (1997), pp 104–30; Riccards, Michael P. "Lincoln and the Political Question: The Creation of the State of West Virginia" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, 1997; Talbott, F. "Some Legislative and Legal Aspects of the Negro Question in West Virginia during the Civil War and Reconstruction," West Virginia History, Jan 1963, Vol. 24 Issue 2, pp 110-133; Rice, Otis K. West Virginia: A History (1985); Stealey, III, John Edmund.

"West Virginia's Constitutional Critique of Virginia: The Revolution of 1861-1863," Civil War History, March 2011, Vol. 57 Issue 1, pp 9-47; Zimring, David R. "'Secession in Favor of the Constitution': How West Virginia Justified Separate Statehood during the Civil War," West Virginia History, Fall 2009, Vol. 3 Issue 2, pp 23–51; West Virginia State Archives; Elizabeth Cometti, and Festus P. Summers. The Thirty-fifth State: A Documentary History of West Virginia. Morgantown: West Virginia University Library, 1966.

Subjects discussed: West Virginia Civil War History; West Virginia Secession; West Virginia Statehood; Battle of Camp Alleghany; Battle of Carnifex Ferry; Battle of Cheat Mountain; Battle of Droop Mountain; Battle of Greenbrier River; Battle of Harpers Ferry; Battle of Hoke's Run; Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes; Battle of Moorefield; Battle of Philippi; Battle of Princeton Courthouse; Battle of Rich Mountain; Battle of Shepherdstown; Smithfield Crossing; Battle of Summit Point. On This Day in West Virginia Civil War History by Michael B. Graham | The History Press Books Qty Or buy the eBook from one of these retailers West Virginia is the only state formed by seceding from a Confederate state. And its connections to the Civil War run deep. One day at a time, award-winning historian Michael Graham presents intriguing, event-driven anecdotes and history related to the state. On July 11, 1861, a Union force attacked 1,300 Confederate troops camped at Rich Mountain in a renowned battle. Confederate guerrillas raided Hacker’s Creek on June 12, 1864.

Find little-known facts about the Battles of Droop Mountain, Carnifex Ferry, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown and a whole host of others. Read a story one day or month at a time. Celebrate an entire year of Civil War history in the Mountain State. ISBN West Virginia - is a state in the Appalachia / Upland South region of the United States. American Civil War, American Civil War, Confederate state, Border States, Mason-Dixon Line, State of West Virginia Home West Virginia is a state in the Appalachia / Upland South region of the United States. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the American Civil War and was admitted to the Union as a separate state on June 20, 1863. It is the only state formed as a direct result of the American Civil War, and the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state. West Virginia is one of the Border States. The Census Bureau considers West Virginia part of the South because most of the state is below the Mason-Dixon Line, though its northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio with Weirton on a parallel with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

On This Day in West Virginia Civil War History | Harpers Ferry Park Association Harpers Ferry Park Association A National Park Service Cooperating Association West Virginia $21.99 West Virginia is the only state formed by seceding from a Confederate state. And its connections to the Civil War run deep. One day at a time, award-winning historian Michael Graham presents intriguing, event-driven anecdotes and history related to the state. On July 11, 1861, a Union force attacked 1,300 Confederate troops camped at Rich Mountain in a renowned battle. Confederate guerrillas raided Hackers Creek on June 12, 1864. Find little-known facts about the Battles of Droop Mountain, Carnifex Ferry, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown and a whole host of others. Read a story one day or month at a time. Celebrate an entire year of Civil War history in the Mountain State.

Author: Books :: West Virginia in the Civil War West Virginia in the Civil War 35th Star Publishing Tags Posted by: admin | Comments (0) The Battle of Charleston, and the 1862 Kanawha Valley Campaign by Terry Lowry The Battle of Charleston (West Virginia), fought September 13, 1862, between the Confederate forces of Gen. William Wing Loring and the Federal command of Col. Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn, pales in comparison to many of the more well-known and documented engagements of the American Civil War. Yet the battle and the activities comprising the 1862 Kanawha Valley Campaign, particularly Lightburn’s subsequent retreat, beginning at Fayetteville and ending at Point Pleasant, were of much more strategic importance than readily meets the eye and held special meaning for many of its participants. One such individual was Sgt. Joseph Pearson, Company F, 44th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who wrote about the battle of Charleston in his journal, “We had several killed and wounded in this affair, but it was only a skirmish to what we afterwards learned of war.

Yet I was more impressed with the dread[ful] feeling of that little action than all the others I was in to the finish.” The 1862 Kanawha Valley Campaign has long been neglected by scholars, probably due to the great national attention placed on the Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign, which took place during this same time period. Owing to the meticulous work of author/historian Terry Lowry, it has finally been given its due. 487 pages, 8.5×11 trim size, hard cover, 332 photos and images (many never before published), 11 maps Virginia During the Civil War Share By Martin Kelly The Confederate States of America (CSA) was founded in February 1861. The actual Civil War began on April 12, 1861. Just five days later, Virginia became the eighth state to secede from the Union. The decision to secede was anything but unanimous and resulted in the formation of West Virginia on November 26, 1861. This new border state did not secede from the Union. West Virginia is the sole state that was formed by seceding from a Confederate state.

Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution provides that a new state cannot be formed within a state without that state’s consent. However, with Virginia's secession this was not enforced. Virginia had the largest population in the South and its storied history played an enormous role in the founding of the U.S. It was the birthplace and home of Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson . In May 1861, Richmond, Virginia became the capital city of the CSA because it had the natural resources that Confederate government so badly needed to effectively wage a war against the Union. continue reading below our video Profile of General Robert E. Lee Although the city of Richmond is situated only a mere 100 miles from the U.S. capital in Washington, D.C., it was a large industrial city. Richmond was also the home to Tredegar Iron Works, one of the largest foundries in U.S. prior to the onset of the Civil War. During the war, Tredegar produced over 1000 canons for the Confederacy as well as armor plating for warships.

In addition to this, Richmond’s industry produced a number of different war materials such as ammunition, guns and swords as well as supplied uniforms, tents and leather goods to the Confederate Army. Battles in Virginia The majority of the battles in the Civil War’s Eastern Theater took place in Virginia, mainly due to the need to protect Richmond from being captured by Union forces. These battles include the Battle of Bull Run , which is also known as the First Manassas. This was the first major battle of the Civil War fought on July 21, 1861 and also a major Confederate victory. On August 28, 1862, the Second Battle of Bull Run began. It lasted for three days with over a combined 100,000 soldiers on the battlefield. This battle also ended with a Confederate victory. Hampton Roads, Virginia was also the site of the first naval battle between ironclad warships. The USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia fought to a draw in March 1862. Other major land battles that occurred in Virginia include Shenandoah Valley, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville.

On April 3, 1865, the Confederate forces and government evacuated their capital at Richmond and troops were ordered to burn all of the industrial warehouses and businesses that would be of any value to Union forces. Tredegar Irons Works was one of a few businesses that survived the burning of Richmond, because its owner had it protected through the use of armed guards. The advancing Union Army began to quickly extinguish the fires, saving most of the residential areas from destruction. The business district didn’t fare as well with some estimating at least twenty-five percent of the businesses suffering a total loss. Unlike General Sherman’s destruction of the South during his 'March to the Sea', it was the Confederates themselves who destroyed the city of Richmond. On April 9, 1865, the Battle of Appomattox Court House proved to be the last significant battle of the Civil Was as well as the final battle for General Robert E. Lee. He would officially surrender there to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 12, 1865. The war in Virginia was finally over.

Question: Which was the only US state formed by seceding from a Confederate state during the American Civil War?
Answer: WEST VIRGINIA